


can you tell

by seeingrightly



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-20 06:15:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2418044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeingrightly/pseuds/seeingrightly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Alright, alright,” Ian says, kissing him again. “I love you. Bye.”</p><p>Ian turns away, laughing a little as Yev sends him off one last time, and he startles when Mickey jumps up off of the couch behind him.</p><p>“The fuck did you just say to me?” Mickey shouts, his voice strained, and when Ian turns around, Mickey’s shoulders are near his ears and his fists are balled up and he hasn’t looked at Ian like this in ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	can you tell

**Author's Note:**

> [this post](http://transwolves.tumblr.com/post/99368527539/if-mickey-actually-verbally-admitted-to-being-in) happened and then i lost control of my life. this fic is only even tangentially related to it???? bye.
> 
> this is set, uh, vaguely post-season-five, working with the assumption that ian is in a more stable place and he and mickey have more stable jobs. but, like, vaguely. don't think about it too hard.
> 
> title from... ra ra riot's "can you tell".

Ian’s morning routine these days is pretty mundane. He wakes up first and goes for a run, and by the time he gets back, Svetlana’s in the kitchen with Yev and Mandy is mumbling sleepily in her room and Mickey’s in the shower, probably because he knows it’d make Ian’s life easier to be able to shower right when he gets back.

Ian kisses Yev on the head and shoves some bread into the toaster that they’ve finally fixed and drinks some orange juice straight out of the carton, flipping Mandy off when she smacks him on the arm for it as she enters the kitchen.

“Gross,” Mandy says.

“I can be grosser,” Ian offers as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I think you already covered that last night,” Mandy says. “Stop making out on the couch.”

“The movie was boring,” Ian says, dropping his toast onto a plate and trying to find a clean butter knife.

“Ay, take any pictures of the fuckin’ sunrise today?” Mickey asks, elbowing Ian away from the fridge.

He grabs the carton of orange juice and drinks straight out of it.

“I hate you both,” Mandy groans around a mouthful of poptart.

“Okay,” Ian says. “Sure you do.”

“I also hate you both,” Svetlana says as wipes food off of Yev’s face.

“That I’m more willing to believe,” Ian says, smiling at Svetlana.

She rolls her eyes. Ian butters his toast, hands one of the pieces to Mickey, and then shoves more bread into the toaster. Mickey leans against the counter next to him.

“Does this taste like burnt plastic to you?” Mickey asks with his mouth full.

“Carl,” Ian replies.

“Doesn’t he have his own fuckin’ toaster to destroy?”

Ian shrugs. The toast does taste funny, but he’s had much worse. He puts extra butter on the next two slices, though.

“You don’t have a shift ‘til this afternoon, right?” Ian asks, handing over another slice.

“Yeah,” Mickey says, “figured we could grab lunch after your shift ends and before mine starts. I got the kid this morning, so we can take him.”

“Cool,” Ian says.

He shoves the last piece of toast into his mouth and leaves it there while he moves the knife and plate to the sink before he heads off to take a shower. Once he’s dressed and ready to go, Mandy and Svetlana have both already left, and it’s just Mickey and Yev sitting on the couch. Yev is squished between Mickey and the arm, propped up in the corner.

“Bye, buddy,” Ian says, leaning down to kiss Yev on the head again.

“Bye!” Yev says, because it’s one of his favorite and only words.

“Bye, buddy,” Ian says again, this time to Mickey, smirking as he leans forward to kiss him quickly, arms braced against the back of the couch.

“Bye!” Yev shouts again, and they wind up laughing against one another’s faces.

“Alright, douche,” Mickey says, shoving at Ian’s chest. “Get out of here.”

“Alright, alright,” Ian says, kissing him again. “I love you. Bye.”

Ian turns away, laughing a little as Yev sends him off one last time, and he startles when Mickey jumps up off of the couch behind him.

“The fuck did you just say to me?” Mickey shouts, his voice strained, and when Ian turns around, Mickey’s shoulders are near his ears and his fists are balled up and he hasn’t looked at Ian like this in ages.

Ian blinks.

The he realizes what he said, and he blinks again. Thing is, he’s thought about it a lot. He’s thought it a lot. He’s never said it, because he knew it wouldn’t go very well, saying it for the first time. He doesn’t let himself think about that first time too much – always figured he’d just wait ‘til Mickey eventually said it in a million years, and then he’d say it back like it was no big deal.

But he’s though a lot about what it’d be like, to have it a part of his routines – their routines. Just saying it whenever, saying it as they go to bed, saying it as they head out the door, saying it to say it, not because it was a big deal. Ian wants it not to be a big deal.

But, you know, it is. A big deal. It really is.

“Uh,” Ian says. “I, uh, I said I love you, I guess?”

Mickey looks away as he repeats it, rubbing his thumb against his mouth. Ian winces.

“Uh, sorry?” Ian says. “Do you… not want me to?”

Mickey turns back to look at him so quickly it makes Ian jump. Ian’s not sure why Mickey’s even more pissed off now, but he definitely is, his hands waving and then dropping quickly to his sides.

“I,” Mickey says loudly, “you, I, you –”

He waves his hands again, his face red and his eyes wide and panicked.

“Alright,” Ian says slowly, putting his hands out in front of him. “Look, I’m gonna go to work, okay? You… you think about it, okay? I gotta go, okay? Bye.”

“Bye!” Yev shouts, and Ian laughs a little hysterically as he heads out the front door.

-

He tries not to think about it at work. Hopefully Mickey’s just sitting next to Yev on the couch, staring blankly into space, rather than, like, punching a cop in the face to effectively run away from Ian for a while. That’d suck, because Mickey’s not a minor anymore, and also Ian’s pretty sure that they’re past that point in their relationship and have been for a while.

He tries not to think about it, but he still winds up kind of running home a little come lunchtime.

When Ian turns onto their block, he can see a figure sitting out on the porch, and he sighs and slows down. Either Mandy’s hiding outside because Mickey’s being annoying, or Mickey came outside to pout.

Ian stops at the gate. Mickey’s got an empty carton of cigarettes and a couple of crushed beer cans sitting next to him, and his head is leaning against his hand. He stares at Ian blankly.

“So,” Ian says slowly. “Consensus?”

“Conwhat?” Mickey asks, glaring, and Ian smiles a little and walks closer.

 “Come inside,” he says. “You don’t even have shoes on.”

“No,” Mickey says, but he lets Ian pull him up by the arm and shove all the way to their room, pouting the whole time.

“Okay,” Ian says, closing the door and then leaning against it. “Did you reach a decision or are you going to short-circuit again?”

“Fuck you,” Mickey says, turning away from Ian, hunching over a little with his hands in his pockets.

“Uh huh,” Ian says.

“I hate you,” Mickey says, looking at Ian over his shoulder quickly.

“Uh huh,” Ian says again.

Mickey shuffles in place for a moment and then turns around part of the way, looking at Ian out of the corner of his eye, and then looking at the floor.

“Just, like, give a guy some fuckin’ warning, okay?” Mickey mutters, and Ian smiles and smiles and looks down at the floor for a long moment.

“Oh, okay,” he says eventually, making his tone light. “You want me to mentally and emotionally prepare you next time.”

He nods, his hands on his hips, like he’s considering a game plan, trying to keep a straight face as Mickey shoots him a suspicious look.

“Okay, Mickey,” Ian says slowly, “you may want to sit down for this.”

“Fuck off,” Mickey says, glaring as Ian grabs his arms and pushes him back so that he’s sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Okay, Mickey,” Ian says, “are you ready?”

Mickey flips him off, and his face is all red and splotchy and he’s not really looking at Ian but his mouth is all twisted up in the way that means he’s trying not to smile.

“Mickey Milkovich,” Ian says very seriously, his hands on Mickey’s shoulders. “I… I love the Blackhawks, did you know that? They’re a really great team and –”

“Go fuck yourself,” Mickey says loudly, kicking at Ian.

Ian laughs as Mickey jumps up and puts him in a headlock, and he can feel the laughter in Mickey’s chest where they’re pressed together. Mickey gets a grip on Ian’s ear and twists.

“Fuck,” Ian shouts, still laughing. “Oh, also I love you. Did I mention that part?”

There’s a split second where Mickey goes still, and then he lets go of Ian and shoves him so that he falls back on the bed. Ian lays there, smiling up at Mickey, and Mickey gives him one of those looks that’s half a glare and half a smile, and he flips off Ian, and then he leaves.

“Time for lunch, Yev,” Mickey calls, and Ian laughs and gets up to run after him.

**Author's Note:**

> come find me on tumblr at [professorwolfjwolf](professorwolfjwolf.tumblr.com).


End file.
